Hey! This is kind of a continuation of this other thread I started and just wanted to get some answers from anyone out there regarding this drug combination?

http://www.addforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=21000

This thread (especially the last few posts) pretty much explain what is going on. But in a nutshell: I take 20 mg XR every morning. By afternoon time I start to get REALLY sleepy but still have plenty of day left to go (ie. night class!!). So, therefore, I will usually take a 10 mg Adderall IR tablet to help deal with this. Many many times I do not react well and end up very dizzy and with a huge headache (which has even turned into huge migraines at times).

While I feel terrific in the morning/early afternoon, I'm stuck with either an afternoon of focus plus headache/dizzy or totally zoned out. Someone had suggested that an afternoon dose of Ritalin in place of an afternoon dose of Adderall would be helpful to keep my "Adderall" blood concentration lower and in check, as not to cause any huge side effects.

I'm not sure doctors do this though. Read the thread (link above) if you're confused. But I really just want to get some insight from ANYONE, especially those who have had experience with Adderall AND Ritalin. Thanks!!!!

It's not common to mix two different types of stimulant medication, and the immediate release Adderall causing you to have too much Adderall in your system is indicative that the XR is not fully worn off yet...but I don't know, really. I recommend asking your pharmacist about this, and discussing with your doctor the problem.

If you feel that its not working correctly,or as well as it should then you should tell your doc and discuss openly other stimulants,what they do,how they work.Just be real and they will get your point.Hang in there!I can really see your looking for answers.Good luck.

Well Brandilyn its not that Adderall isn't working correctly for me, I just don't understand why I get headaches (sometimes). Today for example, I took an afternoon dose of adderall 10mg and had absolutely NO PROBLEMS.... well sure, I'm up at 3am but that's a different story. LOL. Anyways the point is I hate having to be like "Please don't give me a headache or make me dizzy this time!!!!"

So I'm just trying to find a cut and dry solution. Though I do realize there isn't one. Maybe its just my body getting used to it again. I used to take up to 40 mg per day total (about a year and a half ago).

Re the headache, have you had your blood pressure checked? Adderall can cause it to increase.

DBR

Yup. My blood pressure is just fine. It's in the 105-115 over 60-70 range.

I used to take adderall and ritalin together all the time and it seemed to work out okay for me. I would take a 30mg adderall xr every morning at 7:30, and it would wear off at about 3:00pm. So my dr gave me a rx for ritalin (5mg), and told me to take one or two depending on how much I thought that I needed in the afternoon once my adderall wore off.

It is not so unusual to take a shorter acting med like ritalin IR in the afternoon after a longer acting stimulent has worn off. Some people do this because a late dose of Adderall or XR version of ritalin keeps them awake.

I've tried this combo a couple of times and it was effective.

But you know the routine; talk to your doc/pharmacist.

Thanks Meggie and Stanzen.

I just hate the side effects (headaches!!) that I get from that second dose of Adderall... though I hate the effects without taking it. ahhhh!!!!

Tonight for example, I have to give a presentation for class (I'll give the presentation around 6pm tonight)... I took my XR at 8:30am and I'll need a second dose before this presentation... downside is I'll either have a headache from taking it too soon or be up all night from taking it too late!! AGH!

Maybe I should try 5mg instead of 10mg? hmmmm...:)

I know for a fact that you can take Adderall XR in the morning and then short-acting Ritalin in the afternoon. A social worker I know has a child that takes them like that. You'd need to talk to your doctor though.

Have you had your blood pressure checked while you were having one of your headaches? Adderall doesn't cause it to always be elevated, but to be elevated while it is in your system, as far as I know anyway. Good luck!

Yeah I have checked BP during the course of Adderall being in my system. Still okay.


I think I'm going to ask about the Ritalin next time at the doctor. I just can't stand that second dose of Adderall!!

Princess,
Are you drinking enough water? The salts in Adderall will suck the fluids right out of you. Your symptoms may be as simple as dehydration. (Headache is usually the first sign)

Water is important when taking stimulants, but the "salts" of Adderall are not like table salt. Ritalin (methylphenidate) can dihydrate you as well!

I do try to drink a lot of water but one of the worst headaches I had was on a day that I drank a liter of water in a matter of a few hours... I was definitely not dehydrated. I ended up having to take 2 of my migraine pills because of it.

I take Adderall and Concerta together. Since Adderall works on four neurotransmitter sites and Concerta (same drug as Ritalin) works on only one, it sort of makes sense to me that for severe ADD, it would be necessary to blast every neurotransmitter site at once (Adderall), then shore up the one most strongly associated with ADD symptoms (Concerta/Ritalin). That probably doesn't make much sense, but somehow it seems plausible to me.

One big thing I noticed when I started Concerta was that I no longer had the "rebound" effect when Adderall wore off. That in itself was a big plus.

In general, I hated Concerta when I first started it because I did feel like it sort of "boxed in" my thinking, but now that I have adjusted to it I am very happy with this combination of drugs. Can't recommend it for anyone else, of course, but it has worked great for me.

Very interesting. Thanks vegan.

I'm going to the doc at the end of october. I'm going to see what he recommends about this crashing and headache thing. Maybe he'll try something else w/ me.

I feel great in the mornings with the Adderall XR... its the afternoons that always take a turn for the worst.